Pad Thai

Rice noodles are a fantastic storecupboard ingredient and I regularly stock up at Asian markets where you can also buy jumbo-sized bottles of staples like fish sauce, soy sauce, and so much more. This dish is possibly one of the most famous Thai dishes and appears on menus throughout the world. Rightfully so, it’s a speedy dish full of deep layers of sweet and aromatic flavours.

Ingredients

250g/9oz flat rice noodles

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

good handful coriander leaves and stalks

1 red chilli, seeds removed, roughly chopped

2 limes, zest and juice

2 tbsp sunflower oil

20 raw tiger prawns, de-shelled, heads and black vein removed

6 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

100g/3½oz beansprouts

3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla)

1 tbsp light soft brown sugar

2 large free-range eggs, beaten

lime wedges, to garnish

4 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, roughly chopped, to garnish

Preparation method

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions then drain them and set aside.

In a pestle and mortar, make a paste from the garlic, coriander stalks, red chilli and lime zest.

Heat the oil in a wok or a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. When the oil is just at smoking point, add the paste and fry for about one minute, or until it becomes aromatic.

Add the prawns, half of the spring onions and half of the beansprouts and stir-fry for two minutes.

Add the drained noodles and mix through. Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and brown sugar and cook for two minutes. Pour in the beaten eggs and mix through the noodles until just cooked.